The Crimson Knight
by nycz
Summary: Tired of Granny's suffocationg overprotectiveness, Red cuts off her hair and leaves home, posing as a young man. On her travels, she meets Queen Regina and joins her army, quickly rising in ranks. It doesn't take long for her to catch the queen's eye... (Written for Day 1 - AU for Red Queen Week 2014)
1. Leaving

**A/N: Heavily inspired by a certain post on tumblr and the way Meghan Ory looked in the miniseries Merlin's Apprentice.**

**Also note that this is an AU where Red isn't a werewolf. All the events that led up to Mary/Snow meeting Red are about the same, but the rest is up for grabs.**

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**Chapter 1: Leaving**

The small village was bustling with life, the villagers enjoying the warm spring sun as they hurried to prepare for the spring festival, only a few days away. Merchants were trickling in from all around, setting up their stalls, talking and laughing with each other. Everyone was eager to be a part of the big event.

Red smiled weakly and mouthed a quiet thank you to the merchant she'd been haggling with. She had gotten most of what she had wanted to buy and it was high time to head back before Granny became any more irate than she no doubt already was. With a sigh, she shot a last hopeful glance at the crowd behind her. Maybe this year, Granny would let her see the festival? Still, while the wolf sightings this winter had been nothing more than rumors, Granny had been as strict as ever. She sighed again, shaking her head. A few hours at the festival during daylight would be the best she could hope for.

Despite her bright red cloak, not many people noticed her as she walked past them with hurried steps and head bent. The few who did, viewed her with worry, curiosity, even fear. She was the strange girl living out there in the forest with no one but her granny – why wouldn't people talk? In fact, if things continued as they did, she might even become more of a bogeyman than the wolves and monsters in the forest were.

It would have been amusing if it hadn't been so true.

After all, she didn't have more freedom now than when she was little; if anything, the opposite was true. Mary had left soon after she showed up and Peter – even Peter – hadn't been able to stand Granny's hostility forever. Not long after Mary had left, he had followed suit, only leaving a brief note behind. The worst part of it was that Red hadn't even been surprised; she had know exactly what the note was as soon as she had laid eyes on it. Granny had only scoffed, talking about "_that boy_" and huffing that it was better this way.

Deep in her thoughts, she didn't notice the men in front of her until she almost collided with one of them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized, taking a few steps back. "I didn't see you– I was lost in thought–"

"Please, there's no problem," the man said with a smile, waving away her apology. "I should be the one to apologize, Ma'am."

Red let out a little giggle, surprised at the overly formal manners of the man. He was oddly dressed too, wearing full armor and a sword on his hip. His dozen or so comrades that were walking by next to him were all dressed the same. "You're soldiers," Red noted, watching the sun bounce of the polished metal of their armor. Feeling a bit foolish from pointing out the obvious, she continued, "I mean, it's not something you see everyday in these parts."

"Indeed. We're part of the Royal Guard." He bowed, the smile still firm on his lips. "But fear not, we're only passing through."

"Well then," Red said, responding with a curtsy, "I wish you luck on your journey."

The soldier dipped his head again and then joined his comrades farther down the road. Red followed them with her eyes until they disappeared into the crowd, an odd sensation in her chest. Hope? Excitement? Envy? Perhaps a mix of all of them. Soldiers... they traveled, saw the world, and they fought; they didn't hide away in a cottage for year after year, hoping that someday maybe everything would be alright. They _fought_.

That day, she had a little more bounce in her step than usual on her way home.

"You're late," was the gruff greeting Red got as soon as she stepped inside Granny's cottage. "What did you do this time, flirt with another good-for-nothing boy?"

"I..." She paused, wondering if there was any point in stirring the hornets nest. Although, it couldn't exactly get worse, could it? "There were a few soldiers passing through. I spoke to one of them. He seemed very nice."

"Soldiers," Granny scoffed. "Swords for hire, that's what they are. Butchering anything that their kings or queens or whoever pays them the most tells them to."

"At least they fight," Red countered, tired of her grandmother's constant dismissal of anything and everything outside of their cottage.

"And they die." Granny let the words hang in the air for a while and then shook her head. "That's what happens to people like that. That's what happened to your parents." She went over to the front door and locked it tightly. "Foolish people, that's what they were. You can't fight everything and you certainly can't win every time. Sooner or later, you're going to lose and that's the end of it." Huffing, she shot Red a reproachful look. "Enough talk about that. You know what to do."

Red slumped, knowing she wouldn't get any further with Granny, at least not this night. "Yes, Granny," she sighed, going to each window and closing the shutters. When she was done, she turned back towards Granny, wringing her hands slightly. "The spring festival is only a few days away," she mentioned.

Granny muttered something inaudible.

"Can I go this year?"

"That hullabaloo?" Granny grunted, shaking her head. "We'll see."

What little elation Red had felt from her trip to the village was swept away by Granny's dismissal. As much as she phrased it with uncertainty, "we'll see" never meant "yes". It was just Granny's way to avoid the confrontation.

"Now off to bed with you," Granny continued, sitting down in the rocking chair in front of the door, crossbow secure in her grip. "And don't forget the cloak. It's almost wolfstime and red–"

"–repels wolves," Red filled in. "Yes, Granny, I know."

Red closed the door behind her and took a deep, shaky breath. As much as she loved her granny, the complete control she had over Red's life was too much, making her feel suffocated and cornered. She threw herself onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Seeing those soldiers had awoken an urge in her, something she hadn't felt for months, not since Mary and Peter left. It was the urge to run, to leap out of the confines of the cottage and run freely through the wilderness. Much like the wolves she had been taught to fear so much, ironically.

But despite her own feelings towards the creatures – even despite the fact that a pack of wolves had been responsible for killing her parents – she couldn't help but admire them. They were free and they were _strong_. They didn't cower in fear or hide in their home for decades. No, they fought, like the soldiers she'd met in the village.

As she lay there, mulling over the day's events, a plan slowly started to form. She could leave. She could _leave_, run away and go her own way, create her own life. She could travel to another kingdom, even become a soldier. The more she thought about it, the more her excitement grew. Jumping out of the bed, she tiptoed over to the door and listened carefully. Soft snores told her all she needed to know, but she knew she still had to be careful. Her granny's sharp hearing had surprised her more than once.

With light steps, she went back to her bed and sat down. Biting her lip, she pulled out the dagger she always kept with her. If she were going to do this, there was one thing in particular she had to do. While women were known to serve in armies and as mercenaries, they were never the norm. She didn't want to be special anymore, to be the strange girl in the red cloak that all the villagers whispered about, which meant she couldn't be a girl anymore.

She shrugged off her cloak and ran her fingers through her hair, eventually picking out and holding up one of her tresses. After a brief moment of hesitation, she cut it off. "Okay," she mumbled, her heart racing. The world hadn't ended and Granny hadn't run into the room, ranting and raving. Another tress joined the first on the bed beside her, then a third and a fourth. Soon, her hair was not even half a foot long, standing in odd angles. She knew it probably wasn't particularly pretty, but it would have to do. Running her hand over her scalp again, she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. It felt so strange, so forbidden, yet so good.

Imbued with confidence, she rifled through her clothes, glad that she owned a few tunics and hoses and not only dresses and corsets. Looking down on her chest, she frowned. She'd have to cover that up somehow. Luckily, she quickly found a worn tunic that she could sacrifice, cutting it up into a long band, mindful of the sounds she was making. It took a few tries, but she eventually managed to bind her chest with the remains of the old tunic. The result was neither perfect nor particularly comfortable, but it covered her up well enough.

The moon was peeking in through the cracks of the window shutters when she was finally getting ready to leave. Even if she maybe didn't look completely masculine, she certainly didn't look like a girl anymore. She wore a loose tunic that covered what little her bound chest didn't, a pair of dark hoses and a simple, dark green cloak. Her bow was on her back, her dagger in her belt and slung over her shoulder was a bag filled with what little more she needed to bring: extra clothes, a few coins and a few trinkets.

She opened the window as quietly as possible, looking back at what had been her home for as long as she could remember. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving it, even at leaving Granny despite their differences, but she knew it was what she had to do; she had to get her own life. Her eyes lingered at the red cloak carelessly tossed in a crumpled heap on her bed, the color strong and vibrant in the moonlight. Wearing it would have made her far too recognizable, but it didn't stop her from wanting it anyway. After a few moments of hesitation she gave up, walked over to the bed, picked it up and put it in her bag. As much as she hated what it stood for, she still loved that cloak.

With a last glance around the room, Red hoisted herself up onto and through the window, landing on the ground with a soft thud. Adjusting the bag, she took off quickly, intent on covering as much land as she could before Granny noticed she was missing.


	2. Blood Red

**A/N: *checks publish date* *loud sweating* ****_yikes_**

**Sooooo anywho, here's chapter two. Not perfect, not beta'd, but if I wait any longer I'm pretty sure the fic will morph into a fossil of some sort. And yes, I do still plan on finishing this. (eventually)**

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**Chapter 2: Blood Red**

It had been a few weeks – Red wasn't entirely sure how many – since she had left Granny and her old life behind, and except for a few bouts of homesickness, Red didn't regret her decision. She had traveled from village to village, hunting and selling what she caught when she needed coin and sleeping outside when she had nothing to pay with. It didn't bother her much; she certainly wasn't afraid of getting her boots dirty, and her bow would keep her safe.

Still, being on the road for so long was beginning to take its toll and the prospect of staying in one place longer than a day or two sounded better each day that passed. Perhaps she could work as a hunter for a while, just to pay for her room and some new clothes.

Luckily enough, she hadn't heard anything from Granny's village, and the people she met didn't seem to care about her looks, although most took her for a young boy instead of a man. The thought of her old life remaining behind was a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. She could do anything now; she could start her _own_ life, somewhere Granny wasn't judging and controlling everything she did. It was that thought that put an extra spring in her step as she walked down the road on her way to the next little village.

Movement farther down the road caught her eye, as these roads weren't all that heavily used. Squinting into the distance, she made out a carriage and small group of riders rapidly approaching. She didn't recognize them but from the looks of the horsemen – all in identical dark armor – and the elaborate carriage, she guessed they were a noble's guards. Just as she was about to step aside to let the group pass, she heard a strange cracking noise from the side of the road. A moment later, a huge tree creaked and tilted outwards, falling onto the road with a loud crash. Everything turned to chaos.

Men in ragtag armor wielding swords and axes – probably bandits – swarmed out of the forest, surrounding the carriage and attacking the soldiers. Cries and shouts mixed with the sound of steel hitting steel, filling the air. She was on a battlefield, Red realized. A small one, but a battlefield nonetheless.

She was backing away, trying to leave the fight unnoticed, when one of the bandits turned towards her, having just cut down his opponent. He closed in on her, blade at the ready and a vicious glint in his eyes.

"I'm not with them," Red said as she continued to back away. "Just a traveler."

"A traveler who's probably got some coin," the bandit replied, a grin pulling on his lips. "Hand it over and you can leave without getting hurt."

"No." Doing the same motions she had done countless times when hunting, she pulled out her bow and readied an arrow. "I'm not giving you anything."

"Look at you, shaking like a leaf," the bandit taunted as he neared her, bouncing the sword in his hand. "Aren't you a real warrior."

"I _will_ shoot you," Red warned him, cursing silently as her hands wouldn't stay still.

The bandit didn't seem too scared at the prospect. "Yeah, sure."

As soon as he lunged at her, Red pulled her arm back and let the arrow fly. The arrow lodged itself in his chest and he staggered, confusion and pain flitting across his face. Then his face turned blank and he fell to the ground.

Red didn't move, her whole body still tense, vibrating with energy from the confrontation. She had killed someone. Her heart raced in her chest and her breath came in short, quick puffs. She had taken a person's life. Even seeing the man on the ground before her, it still didn't seem real to her. None of this felt real.

A glint of red suddenly grabbed her attention, pulling her out of her thoughts. A woman had exited the carriage, looking mildly annoyed. She was obviously nobility, with a gown that must have cost more than Granny's entire cottage, and a neckline that bordered on indecent. She was _stunning_ and Red couldn't help but stare.

Unsurprisingly one of the bandits soon noticed the noblewoman, and headed for her, his sword ready. Still, the woman didn't react. Was she so out of touch with the commoners' world that she didn't realize that she was in danger? Red cocked another arrow and aimed, her only thought to save the noblewoman.

Her arrow hit the bandit in his side, and soon he was motionless on the ground as well. Now, however, the woman reacted, snapping her head to the side and meeting Red's eyes. She didn't look thankful or particularly surprised, only curious, perhaps amused.

With a last look at Red, the woman turned to one of the guards who had come up to her. "Clean this mess up quickly, Captain," the woman ordered, "I want to get going as soon as possible."

Tearing her eyes away from the striking woman, the first thing Red noticed was the silence. The battle had ended, and bodies lay strewn across the road. She was no stranger to blood, but the sight of so many dead bodies made Red's stomach lurch. Still, at least she wasn't one of them, having been cut down by that bandit. It was little comfort but it was all she could muster.

After sharing a few more words with her Captain, the woman sauntered over to Red, moving effortlessly despite the intricate clothes. "And who might you be? I noticed you assisted in the removal of these..." she made a displeased face and gestured carelessly at the dead bodies, "_pests_."

"I, uh... my name is Re–" Red bit her tongue. Even after all these weeks, she hadn't come up with a name for herself. "Uh, Re...x. My name is Rex, Ma'am."

"That's _Your Majesty_ to you, boy!" one of the guards brusquely corrected her.

"Now, now, Captain," the queen placated him, "I'm sure we can forgive a few mistakes. He did help us, didn't he?" Turning back to Red, she continued, a smirk tugging on her lips. "I noticed you're rather skilled with that bow. Aren't you a little young for a hunter?"

Red frowned and straightened her back. "I'm older than I look, Ma– Your Majesty," she objected. She wasn't a child and she wouldn't be treated like one.

The queen simply hummed, eyeing Red from her face down to her boots and back up again, that dark smirk ever present. Red swallowed, getting the distinct impression that she was being sized up for more than just her fighting skills, if it wasn't just her own wishful thinking.

"I could use someone like you, Rex," the queen said, her voice a little sultrier than before. "How would you like to join the Royal Guard?"

Red blinked. "Y-you want me in your army? But I'm no soldier," she stammered, "I've never even held a sword."

"Skills can be taught and learned. What I'm looking for is talent and potential." Her smile widened just a bit. "I believe you have both."

"Oh," Red said, surprised by the praise. She was still reeling from the fight and her mind was working furiously to catch up, but even so she knew that this was an opportunity that shouldn't be squandered. "I– I would be honored."

"Well then. Come to my castle and I'll make sure you'll be able to join without any problems." She turned to the nearest soldier. "Are we ready here?"

"Just the tree left, Your Majesty."

"Leave that to me." Holding out her hand, a ball of fire appeared, hovering just above her palm.

Red flinched, having never seen magic before, but the queen took no notice of it. With a gleeful smile and a careless flick of her wrist, she tossed the fire at the blocking tree. It didn't take long for the tree to be reduced to ash, the magical fire burning hotter and faster than anything Red had ever seen.

"Until next time," was the last thing the queen said before she and her entourage went on their way, leaving Red behind to try to make sense of the encounter.


	3. End of the Road

**A/N: Thank you for the comments! I'm glad there's some interest in this despite the small fandom and the (relative) lack of Red Queen goodness right off the bat.**

**Just like between the first three chapters, there will probably be some medium to long jumps in time between the chapters or we won't get to the Red Queen stuff in any kind of decent timeframe. I'll do my best to show Red's character development despite that, though. Let me know if you think I gloss over too much or get stuck too long.**

**Anywho, enough chit chat. Enjoy the new chapter :)**

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**Chapter 3: End of the Road**

It didn't take many days for Red to decide to make her way towards the royal castle. The beautiful, alluring queen was often on her mind, as were the soldiers she had met in her village the day she left. Whatever doubts she might have felt was easily overpowered by the urge to work, to be a part of something bigger, and to fight for something meaningful.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten the two bandits she had killed and she doubted she ever would. Many nights following the attack were filled with nightmares, bloody and violent that left her sweaty and panting when she woke up. She did her best to not mull over it too much, as difficult as it was. She had been attacked, she had defended herself, and that was that. Of course it wasn't quite that simple, but she clung to that thought as best she could.

The weather was getting warmer with each passing day and when she finally reached the royal palace, it was almost midsummer. The bright summer sun flooded the valley with light, making the palace spires glow as if they were made out of pure light itself. Red hadn't seen anything like it – not even the exaggerated tales from travelers who'd had too much to drink could have painted this kind of picture. The spires dwarfed even the tallest trees, and the heavy pillars surrounding the tower would have made Granny's cottage look like a speck of dust in comparison. How anyone could have built it was beyond Red's comprehension.

As Red got closer, she could make out buildings below the palace, roads spreading out in all directions, and a myriad of people going about their business. Here and there she could pick out guards making their rounds, all wearing similar dark armor, the same that the soldiers accompanying the Queen had worn.

It wasn't until the tall spires of the palace loomed over her that she realized that she wasn't sure where to go. This wasn't the small, friendly village she grew up in – were would she go to sign up with the guard? The queen had only told her to get to the castle, nothing more.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to one of the soldiers standing guard nearby.

The soldier gave her a bored look. "Yeah?"

"I'm here to join the guard. Do you know where I should go?"

"Big building with the fence around it, down there," he said, gesturing vaguely down the road. "Lieutenant Bailey is in charge of recruitment."

Red thanked him and headed off in the direction the soldier had given her. Soon enough, she saw a group of houses circled by a sturdy wooden fence. At the entrance stood another soldier, albeit not as bored-looking as the last one.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Bailey."

"You want to join the guard? You're sure about that?" he said after having given Red a once-over. "It's pretty tough work, you know."

Put off by the implication, Red squared her jaw and glared at him. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Fine, fine. I'll get Bailey. Wait here."

The soldier wandered off into the compound, leaving Red alone at the gate. Through it she could see other soldiers sparring and practicing, with bows and swords and plenty of other weapons she didn't recognize.

Soon, the soldier to return, now with another man in tow. He looked older and somewhat less imposing, but from the multiple scars Red could only assume he had been a soldier for quite some time.

"I'm Lieutenant Bailey," the man introduced himself. "And I'm sorry, but we can't take in any farm boy that comes along in need of a job."

"I'm not some farm boy," Red bristled, growing increasingly frustrated. "And I came here because the Queen wanted me to."

The first soldier laughed at that, but Bailey frowned. "The Queen told you too? What's your name?"

"Rex." The name was still quite odd to say, but at least her voice didn't crack halfway through this time.

Hearing the name, Bailey's brows rose in surprise. "You're Rex?" He did a double take. "Not what I expected, but if what I heard checks out, I guess you might do. Come on."

Red followed Bailey through the gate, pointedly ignoring the other guard. Bailey didn't say where they were going, but Red was too busy ogling the rest of the compound to care. She hadn't known what to expect, and now that she was here, she still wasn't sure if she was disappointed or overwhelmed.

"Alright." Bailey had stopped at an archery range, near where a few other soldiers were practicing. "From what I heard, you're supposed to be good with a bow." Without another word, he gestured towards the target farther down the range.

With Bailey's and a few of the nearby soldiers' eyes boring into her, Red did her best to quell her nervousness as she put down her pack and strung her bow. She knew she could use a bow better than most people, and now all she had to do was show it. She stepped up to the archery range and nocked an arrow. With her focus solely on the target, she drew her hand back and let the arrow fly, hitting the hay target near the center.

Five arrows later – all firmly buried close to the center of the target – Bailey finally spoke. "Not too bad. We don't get that many decent archers these days." He scoffed. "Mostly it's just young farmhands down on their luck who think this is an easy way to get rich, and god knows we've got enough of those."

Red couldn't help the smile breaking out on her lips. It wasn't exactly blinding praise, but after growing up with Granny grumbling and huffing even in the best of moods, she recognized it for the compliment that it was.

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Red got a bed in one of the barracks, sharing a room with a few other new recruits. After weeks of being on the road and an overwhelming first day as a soldier, Red was too tired to do much more than mutter a few pleasantries and greetings to the others in the room. She slumped down on the bed, letting out a long breath, allowing herself a short respite before getting ready for the night.

"Tough day?"

Red opened her eyes to find one of her fellow recruits on the bed next to hers, looking over at her with a lopsided grin.

"Pretty much," she mumbled in response.

"This is your first day, right? I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm Tanner, by the way. Been here for almost a month now."

"I'm Rex. And yeah, I just got here. I hadn't even seen the palace before today."

Tanner chuckled, nodding. "It's a sight. When I first came here I must have spent hours just staring up at it." Seeing Red's drooping eyelids, he continued, "Well, I guess we'll talk more later. Looks like you could use some sleep."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Red replied, followed by a long yawn. "Good night." She kicked off her boots and lay down in her bed, the tension leaving her body almost instantly.

It all felt somewhat unreal still, meeting the queen and becoming a soldier. Just a few months earlier, her whole world had been limited to her village and Granny's cottage, with glimpses of whatever lay outside in tales shared by travelers in the inn or exotic goods sold by the merchants in the market. Of course, all of that paled in comparison to the vibrant, hectic atmosphere that filled town below the palace. A part of Red almost wondered if it wasn't all just a dream after all. A beautiful queen, a palace tall enough to pierce the sky, magic and bandits – it sounded like a fairy tale. And yet, here she was.

It didn't take long before the previous weeks' tension caught up with her and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	4. A Welcome Break

**A/N: And here we again live up to the rating with a healthy dose of violence. No Red Queen or Regina, but the next chapter should have a little bit of it.**

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**Chapter 4: A Welcome Break**

Summer passed by quickly, the leaves going from mere buds to deep green in what felt like a blink of an eye to Red. She had taken to her new position with strict determination, training tirelessly day in and day out. Much to her relief, concealing her old identity hadn't been too difficult, and she could focus on her work without much worry about her secret coming out.

Between adjusting to her life as Rex and living in a much larger community than she was used to, she hadn't joined the other recruits in the tavern much, preferring late night walks in the forest or going to bed early instead. It was a bit lonely, but she was used to it.

"Your head's in the clouds again, Rex," Tanner pointed out as he struck Red's sword out of her hand and aimed the tip of his sword at her chest. A moment later, he lowered it, a cheeky grin spread across his face. "Don't let Bailey see you or you'll be stuck chopping training dummies for the rest of the week."

Red scoffed, bending down to pick up her sword. "I can't be top of the class all the time, can I? Wouldn't be fair if I didn't give the rest of you a chance once in a while." She shot him a taunting smirk.

"Speaking of which–" Tanner lunged at her, but Red smoothly sidestepped the attack– "maybe you should take a break from training sometimes. Me and a few others are going to a tavern tonight for some fun. You should come."

Red parried another attack, waiting for an opening in Tanner's defense. "I don't know. It's not really my thing."

"It'll be fun! You shouldn't mope around here all the time–"

For a split second, Tanner dropped his guard just a little, enough for Red to strike. She surged forward, dodging his attack and pressing the dull edge of her sword to Tanner's neck. "I'm not _moping_."

Tanner rolled his eyes as they got back into position. "Fine. But there's more to life than swordplay, you know."

Before Red could reply, she noticed the Captain of the Guard walking towards them. Captain Lydia was a battle hardened woman, having been a mercenary or an outlaw – Red had heard plenty of conflicting stories – before joining the Royal Guard. She rarely smiled but wasn't known to be cruel, only blunt and pragmatic. Red hadn't had any reason to meet her yet, as Lieutenant Bailey was the officer in charge of training the new recruits.

"Which one of you is Rex?" Lydia asked when she was close enough.

Red lowered her sword and straightened. "I'm Rex, sir."

Stopping in front of Red and Tanner, one hand on the hilt of her sword, Lydia regarded Red with a critical look. "I was told you used to be a hunter before coming here. Are you any good at tracking?"

Red nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but I've only hunted small game, so–"

"That will have to do," Lydia cut her off. "We're going on a scouting trip tomorrow. Meet me outside the gate at dawn."

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

Lydia turned on her heel and left without another word.

"You really weren't kidding about being top of the class, were you," Tanner muttered, staring after Lydia.

Red didn't respond. Her thoughts were a mess, a jumble of conflicting feelings. Tomorrow, she might get her first chance to do something other than training and it was as exciting as it was terrifying.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise over the mountain ridges when Red and the rest of the scouting party made their way into the valley behind the palace. Red breathed in the cool air with a smile on her lips; she hadn't been out on a decent hunting trip for far too long. It was a wonderful time of year to do it as well, with the forest just beginning to change from green to yellow as the first signs of autumn was beginning to show. A light breeze filled rustled the leaves and tugged on her cape. It was a lovely sight.

It was a fairly small, ragtag group that the Captain had assembled, consisting of less than a dozen soldiers and hunters from the guard force and the villages nearby. They weren't hunting animals, but a group of bandits that had raided the towns in the area for a while without anyone having been able to find their hideout. This time, though, the trail was only a day old, so hopefully they had a chance to track down the bandits' camp once and for all.

They moved quickly all morning, only stopping briefly for lunch, but without result. At noon, they split up into smaller groups to cover more ground. Red, Captain Lydia, and Oliver – an older hunter Red hadn't seen before – headed off on their own into one of the smaller valleys.

"Captain?" Red asked when they stopped to fill their water skins in a small creek.

Lydia's responding grunt sounded vaguely affirming.

"What are we going to do if we find the camp?"

"They've been well equipped when they've attacked so far," Lydia replied, "so, if we're lucky, the camp is too big for them to move quickly. We should have time to send word back to the palace for a larger force."

"Oh." Red wasn't sure if she was relieved that she wasn't expected to fight, or disappointed that she wouldn't see any action.

"Don't expect this to be a regular occurrence, recruit. I'm not in the habit of wasting my soldiers' lives just so they'll have something to brag about in the tavern."

Red swallowed the indignant protest that was on the tip of her tongue. "If I'm just a recruit, then why bring me along at all? You had plenty of other people to pick from. Sir," she added.

Lydia let out a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a scoff. "When the queen personally tells you to deal with a problem, you don't waste any resources. Besides, we don't have that many decent trackers here."

Hearing the veiled praise, however insignificant, made Red determined to live up to the expectations. She might have trained to become a soldier for weeks now, but hunting and tracking was what she had spent her life doing.

* * *

The sun was drooping dangerously low on the horizon when Red finally found something. A pair of footprints in a patch of wet dirt, almost entirely covered with leaves but visible enough for her to spot it. She held back a grin, more than a little proud to have been the one to find it.

"Someone was here alright," Oliver agreed, inspecting the tracks for himself. "Looks like they were heading uphill." He stood up and squinted towards the peak of the mountain. "Shouldn't be too far ahead either."

"Maybe a patrol or a small scouting party?" Red suggested.

Lydia nodded, casting a wary look at the sky. "Might be. We'll need to hurry up if we're going to catch them before dark."

They headed off up the mountain side in a near jog, determined to use every moment of sunlight they had left. Here and there they found small leads: footprints, broken branches, trampled grass and flowers, every new sign fresher than the last.

"Wait." Lydia crouched, gesturing for Red and Oliver to halt.

Red looked ahead, quickly seeing what had made Lydia stop. About twenty yards farther up the hill stood two people, probably taking a break. Red could make out the hilts of their axes dangling from their belts. They had to be the outlaws they had been looking for.

"We need to capture at least one of them alive enough to speak," Lydia said, keeping her voice low, "or we won't be able to get the location of the camp out of them. If we get close enough and surprise them, we should be able to get through this without problems. Oliver, you take the one to the left, I'll take the one to the right. Rex, you stay back and assist if necessary."

With her bow out and ready, Red followed a few steps behind as Lydia and Oliver crept closer to their targets. She licked her lips, her heart pounding in her chest. Tracking had been one thing – familiar, comfortable even – but they were going into a real fight now. She remembered all too well her last encounter with bandits and it wasn't a pleasant memory. She gripped her bow tightly, keeping her other hand near her quiver.

Lydia and Oliver were almost upon them when the bandits noticed them, drawing their weapons and snarling. Within moments, Lydia was ducking under a swing of an ax and Oliver was doing his best to hold his own against the other bandit. Red stayed where she were, keeping an arrow in her free hand just in case.

Suddenly Oliver grunted in pain, stumbling back and disappearing behind some trees. The bandit he had been fighting laughed in triumph, before looking around and noticing Red.

When the bandit set off towards her, Red nocked an arrow and pulled the bow back, but the beat of her pulse was deafening and her hand was anything but steady. The arrow flew past her attacker, grazing his arm but not slowing him down.

Time seemed to slow down as the bandit neared her. Dazed, Red groped for an arrow, she scrambling backwards.

Only a few feet away, the bandit raised his ax and let out a war cry, his eyes wild and terrifying.

Then, he froze. Letting out a choked gurgling, he stared down at his chest in confusion, at the sword that had just impaled him. He coughed, red staining his mouth and chin.

"Are you alright?" Lydia asked as she pulled her sword out of the bandit's chest in a quick motion. She didn't even look fazed by it.

Red swallowed the nausea and nodded shakily, watching the bandit crumble onto the ground. "Yeah. I'm– I'm sorry. I didn't..." She had to look away, breathing heavily to keep herself from throwing up.

"Don't fret about it, recruit. I told you you weren't here to fight." Turning to look over her shoulder, she shouted, "Oliver?"

A responding groan came first, and then Oliver limped out from behind a tree with a wry grin. "They almost got me that time." He held a hand to his side and winced every other step, but seemed to be taking it alright. "It's only a bruise, though. I should be fine."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Red felt some tension leave her body. "What about the other bandit? Did he survive?"

Lydia bent down and wiped off the blood on the dead bandit's tunic. "He's out cold for now, but should be well enough to question when he wakes up." She squinted up at the sky. "Looks like it's getting to be a clear night too. That should buy us some more time to get back to the castle."

Red nodded again, looking anywhere but at the body in front of her.

There was a rustle and a groan farther up the hill and Lydia stood, her sword ready and a cool smile tugging on her lips. "Sounds like he's already waking up. Good, less time wasted." She turned to Red and gave her a once over. "How good are you at running? How fast do you think you can get back to the castle?"

"I grew up in a forest like this." Red straightened, determined to regain at least some of her pride. "I'll be there before dark."

"Good. Now, we've got a bandit to interrogate."

With a last look at the bloody corpse of the man that only minutes earlier had tried to kill her, Red followed Lydia up the hill. Soon, she'd be back at the castle while the more experienced soldiers attacked the bandit camp, and she couldn't be happier about it. She couldn't wait to get back to the relative calm of training.


End file.
